Freeze eliminator for dining car drains and the like



May 30, 1939. J. JOSEPHUS 2,160,475

FREEZE ELIMINATOR FOR DINING CAR BRAINS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept.'24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. M55221? f0SEPHUJ' 3177M, My,

A T'TORNEYS.

May 30, 1939- J. JOSEPHUS FREEZE ELIMINATOR FOR DINING CAR DRAINS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 24, l937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HVVENYUR. (/0552? /bSEPHZ/S ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 30, 1939 T OFFICE FREEZE ELIMINATOR FOR DINING CAR DRAINS AND THE LIKE Joseph Josephus, Oakland, Calif.

Application September 24, 1937, Serial No. 165,605

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in a freeze eliminator for dining car drains and the like, and it consists of the combinations, constructions and arrangements hereinafter described and claimed.

During extreme weather conditions, the water drains in the dining car and other cars of a train frequently freeze shut and many times it is necessary to thaw out the drains of an entire train by means of torches. This often requires a period of time up to half an hour or sometimes longer and it is also necessary for a train crew to telegraph ahead in order to have men ready to blow out the drainage lines of the train. If drains are not thawed out, the drainage Water, especially in the kitchen and pantry of a dining car, accumulates to such an extent as to make the fioor wet.

The present invention is one which will revolutionize the now existing condition of seasonal drainage freezing in railroad cars. The principal object of my invention is to provide a method of eliminating freezing or if freezing has occurred, to thaw out the frozen drains without the necessity of stopping the train for this purpose. My method of eliminating freezing is accomplished by passing steam lines through the drainage holes and When'freezing occurs, the operation of appropriate valves will bring steam to the frozen area. The steam will melt the frozen drainage and thus free the drainage openings throughout the entire train regardless of weather condition. I have most closely noted and experimented with drainage lines relevant to dining cars and have met with success when using the apparatus schematically shown in the drawings.

The dining car carries a compartment for vegetables that is normally placed beneath the floor of the car. The steam pipe that delivers steam to the drain hole in the vegetable compartment, extends downwardly through the entire compartmentand the steam issuing from the end of the pipe will not only keep the drain from freezing over but will raise the temperature in the compartment sufficiently to prevent the Vegetables from freezing, In this way the steam pipe for the vegetable compartment performs a double function.

In the kitchen and pantry of the dining car, the floor is usually covered with slats and grooves are provided in the floor for conveying drain water to the drain openings. I place the steam conveying pipes in the grooves and provide steam outlets from the pipes and centrally dispose these outlets in the drain openings so that they will not interfere with the normal draining of the car. In certain of the steam outlets, I dispose the nozzles in a horizontal plane so as to direct the steam beneath the article of furniture to thaw out any accumulation of ice beneath the furniture, such as a dresser or the like. The horizontally disposed nozzle has a small pipe section communicating therewith and extending downwardly into the drain disposed in the floor beneath the article. In this way the steam pipe not only conveys steam to the underside of the article through the horizontally disposed nozzle, and to the drain by the small pipe section, but'in addition the nozzle and pipe section act as a drain for any water formed by the melting ice and will carry this water to the drain;

Other parts of the train are affected by freezing -drains as well as dining cars, such as the water tanks which are carried by all cars, so I have extended the invention to include every car in the train. This includes club cars, Pullman cars, and observation cars.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of thedevice will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a dining car showing my device operatively applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a side elevation along the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section along the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section along the line 5--5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an isometric diagrammatic view of the apparatus; and

Figure '7 is an enlarged sectional view the line 1-1 of Figure 1.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a dining car indicated generally at i. As already stated the device may be applied to other cars, but for the purpose of illustration I have shown itmounted in a dining car. The dining car has a kitchen 2 and a pantry 3. I do not wish to be confined to the particular arrangement of the furniture shown in the kitchen 2 and the pantry 3 of the dining car, since it may be arranged differently in different dining cars. A hall way 4 extends along the side of the kitchen and pantry, and is separated therefrom by a partialong tion 5. The hall way extends from a door 6 disposed at the end of the car to the main portion of the dining car indicated at 1 and in which 'the tables are arranged for the passengers.

In Figure l of the drawings I have shown the kitchen 2 as being provided with a chill box 8, a dresser 9 and a dish washer ll] all arranged along one side wall of the kitchen. On the other side wall there is a closet H, a broiler l2, a stove l3 and a steam table I4. Entrance into the kitchen is made possible through a side door l5 and through a second door |6 that opens into the hall way 4. a

The pantry 3 is disposed adjacent to the kitchen and is separated therefrom by a cabinet l1. In the pantry there is provided a dresser |8, a chill box I9, and an ice container 29. Underneath the pantry floor there is mounted a vegetable compartment 2| and access may be had to the compartment through a door 22 or the like. A door 23 opens from the pantry 3 into the main portion 1 of the dining car. The dining car is also provided with a bar 24 at the opposite end from the kitchen and a water tank 25 is placed under the car floor and carries drinking water. The floor 26 of the kitchen and pantry, see Figure 7, is provided with a groove 21 and the floor is covered with slats 28 that are spaced above the floor by cross pieces 29. The groove 21 is for the purpose of conveying drain water from the floor to a drain outlet 30. The parts thus far described form no part of my invention except insofar as they cooperate with the parts now to be described.

My device comprises a steam conveying pipe 3| that is placed in the groove or drain trough 21 and is covered by a strip of metal 32. This strip, however, will not prevent water from draining oil the floor, into the groove and out the outlets 30. In Figure 1 I show thegroove 21 as extending along the front of the dresser 9 and the dish washer I0, and as being provided with two drain outlets 30. The steam pipe 3| is laid in the groove and carries two steam outlets 33 that extend down into the drains 36 and these steam outlets are centrally disposed therein, see Figure 7. The pipe 3| is shown bent at 34 and another bent portion extends along the sill of the door l5. The sill has a drain opening 35 therein, see Figure 2, and the steam pipe carries a steam outlet 36 that is centrally disposed within the drain. The end of the pipe 3| terminates beneath the chill box 8 and the pipe has a steam outlet 31 that is centrally disposed in a drain 38 provided beneath the chill box.

The pipe 3| also has two branch pipes 39 and 40 that extend beneath the dresser 9 and terminate in steam outlets 4|, see Figure 3, that are horizontally disposed. The branch pipes 39 and 46 also carry stub pipes 42 that extend down into drain outlets 43. The stub pipes 42 are centrally disposed in the drain outlets. Steam issuing from the steam outlets 4| will melt any ice forming beneath the dresser and this water will flow toward the drains 43. Any water that might enter the steam outlets 4| will flow out through the stub pipes 42. The stub pipes will also convey steam which will prevent the drains 43 from freezing. In this way the steam outlets 4| and stub pipes 42 perform a double function in that they convey steam to the surrounding area and also convey any water that might enter the pipes 4|, out through the stub pipes 42. Should some of the water fail to find its Way into the drains 43, this water will flow into the grooves 21 and out through the drains 36.

The pipe 3| has a bent portion 44, see Figure 6, and another bent portion at 45. The portion 45 is connected to a steam line 46 that in turn communicates with the locomotive of the train (not shown). A main control valve 41 admits steam from the steam line 46 into the pipe portions 45 and 44. A second valve 48 controls the flow of steam into the pipe 3|. It will be seen from this that the pipe 3| connects with all of the drains in the kitchen 2 and therefore an opening of the valves 41 and 46 will admit steam to the various drains in the manner just described and this will thaw out the drains if they are frozen or will keep the drainsfrom freezing in cold weather. The drains will therefore carry away all surplus water and the floor of the kitchen will remain dry.

I also provide means for delivering steam to the water drains in the pantry 3. Figure 1 shows a branch pipe 49 leading from the pipe portion 44 and provided with a valve 50. The branch pipe 49 connects with a pipe 5| and this pipe in turn has a portion 52 disposed along the side of the dresser IS. The pipe 5| and portion 52 are disposed in a groove 53 in the floor. Short pipes 54 and 55 lead from the pipe portion 52 and have horizontally disposed steam outlets 54 and 55 and steam outlets 56 that are directed downwardly and are centrally disposed in drains 51, see Figure 4. Another branch pipe 58 leads from the pipe 52, see Figures 1 and 6, and has a steam outlet 59 that extends downwardly into a drain 60. The drain is disposed under the chill box IS. A valve 6| controls the flow of steam to the steam outlets 56 and 59.

The pipe 5| also connects with a pipe 62 and this pipe has a downwardly extending portion 63 that passes entirely through the vegetable compartment 2|, see Figure 4. The vegetable com-. partment or box has a drain 6.4 in its bottom, and the steam outlet 63 is centrally disposed in the drain so as to deliver steam to thaw out the drain should it become frozen. It will be noted that since the steam outlet 63 extends through the vegetable box 2|, the heat from the steam and from the radiation of the pipe will raise the temperature in the vegetable box sufficiently to prevent the vegetables, from freezing. In this way the pipe 63 performs a double function. A valve 65. admits steam to the pipe 62 and the steam outlet 63.

The pipe 5| has a branch 66 that extends under the ice container 20.. The. pipe branch 66 has a steam outlet 61 that is centrally disposed in a drain 68,. see Figure 1. A valve 69 controls the flow of steam to the steam outlet 61., It will be seen that by controlling the valves 6|, 65 and 69, steam may be admitted to the drains in the pantry and thus prevent these drains from freezing shut with the result that any water in the pantry will flow out through the drains and prevent the floor from becoming wet. The valve controls the flow of steam to the pantry 3 in the same manner as. the valve 48 controls the flow of steam to the kitchen 2.

The large water tank 25 which is disposed under the floor of the dining car is provided with an air hole indicated generally at 10, see Figure 1. It is necessary that this air hole be kept from freezing over in order that the water tank may be filled with water from time to time. I therefore provide a pipe 1|. that communicates with the pipe 5| and has a, branch 12 leading to the water tank 25. A steam outlet 13 extends upw ardlyv fromthebranch 12 and is centrally disposed in; the air, hole 10,. A valve 14 permits Lil steam to flow to the steam outlet 13 for the purpose of keeping the openings from freezing shut.

A branch 15 leads from the pipe H to the bar 24 and has a steam outlet l5 that extends upwardly into a drain TI. Steam issuing through the steam outlet 16 will thaw the drain Tl should it become frozen.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood.

I have described how all of the drains in the kitchen, pantry and in the dining car proper may be provided with steam outlets so that live steam may be delivered to the drains either preventing them from freezing in cold weather or for thawing them out should they become frozen shut. The closing of the main valve 41 will shut off steam to all of the drains in the dining car. This valve may be opened and then the kitchen valve 48 or the pantry valve 50 may be opened for delivering steam to the drains in either the kitchen or the pantry. It is possible to open both valves 48 and 50 and thus keep the drains in both the kitchen and the pantry from freezing. In addition to the valve 50 for delivering steam to the pantry drains, I provide valves for each of the branch pipes because frequently it is only necessary to thaw out certain of the drains.

With my device it is possible to connect an empty (dead end) dining car or other cars to a train and move this car back to a desired destination without the necessity of first draining the Water tank of water which is now the practice. As soon as the empty car is connected to the train of cars and to the locomotive, live steam can be delivered to the water tank and prevent the air opening 10 from freezing shut. steam will also prevent the Water in the tank from freezing and therefore the water need not be drained from the tank.

The

The cabinet I1 is positioned over the steam pipes 44, 49 and 5|, and is kept warmed by the pipes so that it in turn can warm the dishes contained therewithin. Dishes containing food can also be kept warm in the cabinet until called for by the waiter.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a dining car having a vegetable compartment with a drain opening in its bottom, of a steam conveying pipe extending downwardly through the compartment and terminating in the drain opening, and a valve for controlling the flow of steam through the pipe, the steam in issuing from the pipe passing through the drain and preventing it from freezing, the steam also rising in the compartment and keeping the temperature in the compartment at a point which will prevent the vegetables from freezing.

2. The combination with a dining car having an article of furniture therein with a drain opening in the floor under the furniture, of a steam conveying pipe extending to the opening and having a horizontally disposed steam outlet extending beyond the opening and a branch extending down into the opening, and a valve for controlling the flow of steam through the pipe, the steam in issuing from the horizontal and downwardly extending steam outlets preventing the freezing of any drain water under the furniture and in the drain opening, said horizontally disposed steam outlet also acting as a drain for conveying water from under the furniture to the branch where it will be carried away from the car.

JOSEPH J OSEPHUS. 

